Flights to Sri Lanka

One international gateway

Almost every international visitor arrives at Bandaranaike International (CMB) in Katunayake, about 32 km north of Colombo and a few minutes from the beach town of Negombo. From there, the Southern Expressway runs down the coast to Galle in around two hours, Kandy is roughly three hours inland, and Sigiriya and the Cultural Triangle are about four hours north-east by road. Trains from Colombo Fort reach Kandy, Galle and the hill country.

Airlines and UK departure points

SriLankan Airlines is the only carrier flying non-stop from the UK, from Heathrow. For regional airports, Emirates via Dubai, Qatar Airways via Doha, Etihad via Abu Dhabi, Turkish Airlines via Istanbul, Oman Air via Muscat and Gulf Air via Bahrain all sell one-stop tickets from cities such as Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Kingdoms, colonies and the Cultural Triangle

Sri Lanka's first great capital, Anuradhapura, flourished for more than a thousand years, and in the fifth century King Kashyapa built a palace on top of Sigiriya, a granite rock rising almost 200 metres above the plains. The Portuguese, Dutch and British ruled the coast in turn, leaving Galle's walled fort and Colombo's colonial buildings behind them. The island gained independence as Ceylon in 1948 and took the name Sri Lanka in 1972. Kandy, the last royal capital, holds the Temple of the Tooth, one of Buddhism's most important shrines.

Entry rules, money and getting around

British passport holders need an ETA, applied for on the official government website before departure. The fee for UK nationals has recently been waived, but check the current position when you apply. The currency is the Sri Lankan rupee (LKR), cards are accepted in hotels and larger restaurants, and tuk-tuks and private drivers are the easiest ways to get around. Sri Lanka is five and a half hours ahead of the UK in winter and four and a half in summer.

When to go

Two monsoons shape the year. The west and south coasts and the hill country are driest from December to April, while the east coast around Trincomalee and Arugam Bay is at its sunniest from May to September. Whale watching off Mirissa peaks between December and April, and Kandy's Esala Perahera procession fills the city in July or August.

Planning a tour from the beach to the hills? Call 020 7871 4545 and we'll find flight times that suit your first and last nights.